Celonic, Leukocare Partner to Support Joint Clients in Complex Biologics Development

Editor’s Take: By collaborating in this way, Celonic and Leukocare hope to use their complementary expertise to create optimal value.

Celonic, a Swiss CDMO, and Leukocare, specializing in drug product development, are collaborating, supporting biopharmaceutical companies with increasingly complex biologics.

Complex Biologics Advancing

The companies believe that by combining complementary scientific capabilities, they can help selected client programs in multiple concentrations. Among the complex biologics these include are bispecific antibodies, multispecific antibodies, fusion proteins, and high-concentration formulations.

Celonic contributes its expertise in cell line and drug substance process development, intensified bioprocessing, and good manufacturing practice (GMP) manufacturing. Meanwhile, Leukocare brings to the partnership a unique, data science-driven approach to drug product development.

By considering formulation strategy, molecular characteristics, manufacturability, and process development, Celonic and Leukocare hope to create additional value for clients.

Celonic and Leukocare CEOs Speak

The goal, as Celonic CEO Samanta Cimitan explained, is to establish robust development strategies for clients. This applies at every stage, from pre-clinical development through to commercialization.

“Our collaboration highlights the decisive role of formulation in enabling complex biologics to reach the clinic,” Cimitan said. “We create measurable value for clients developing complex molecules, bispecifics, and high‑concentration drug products.”

This view was shared by Leukocare CEO Michael Scholl.

“As biologics become increasingly sophisticated, formulation development must become more predictive, data-driven, and closely connected with process development,” Scholl said. “Our collaboration with Celonic brings together complementary expertise that enables clients to make well-informed development decisions earlier. [This will] mitigate technical risk and accelerate the path toward robust and manufacturable drug products.”

Celonic and Leukocare clarified that, in light of their new partnership, each company will continue to operate independently. They will serve their respective, global customer bases as well as joint clients.